Chapter 27: The Dreamer

Su Nianmei sat in the car, feeling somewhat dazed as the vehicle bumped along. It moved slowly, and the scenery outside gradually slipped by.

She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the blinding sunlight and stole a glance at the man driving.

He had a high nose long eyelashes, and his attractive, thin lips were slightly closed.

Memories from the previous night surfaced, recalling a past she hadn’t dreamed of in a long time.

At that time, she was only sixteen and still in high school.

A small girl in a white school uniform, with her hair styled in a bun, carried a backpack that nearly reached half her height.

She tiptoed toward the end of an alley, clutching the red-brick corner, her small head peeking out. She knew that it was the only place she could find that person.

The girl stared at her watch, her fingers gripping the strap of her backpack, as she counted silently in her heart:

“Ten, nine, eight…”

“Three, two…” The girl closed her eyes, resembling someone making a birthday wish.

“One!” She opened her eyes, her bright pupils dimming shortly after.

The person at the end of the alley had not yet appeared.

Ever since that person saved her, the girl had come to wait here every day, but she still hadn’t seen him after six months.

She let her grip on the strap fall, her hands hanging at her sides.

As usual, she turned to leave.

Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey, move aside!” The voice was hoarse and low as if it had been squeezed from the throat.

The girl’s steps came to an abrupt halt, her eyes darting back and forth in their sockets, her heart racing with anxiety.

It was him! No doubt about it.

She immediately pivoted on her right heel, turning 180 degrees, and brought her left foot quickly together. She straightened her back, raised her chin, and sucked in her stomach, her eyes fixed straight ahead, executing a perfect about-face, nervously close to saluting.

The words were caught in her throat, unable to escape for a long time.

The man, wearing a blue mechanic’s uniform and a mask, walked past her.

She remained as silent as a quail, watching the man’s tall figure recede further and further away.

She had promised to thank him, but the words still hadn’t left her lips after a year.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a surge of courage propelled her to take two steps for everyone, her backpack swaying behind her.

She patted the man on the back. “Um… hello.”

The man turned, sizing her up from head to toe, his mask obscuring any change in his expression.

“Hmm?”

Then he saw the girl tugging at the corner of his shirt, pulling out candy from somewhere and stuffing it into his palm.

The candy was pink, glaring under the sunlight.

The girl was panting, her cheeks perhaps flushed from running.

“Th… thank you.”

He held the candy, watching the girl as she inexplicably thanked him.

He bent down, wanting to return the favour to the girl.

But his mask was suddenly yanked down.

At that moment, Su Nianmei opened her eyes.

Gu Xichao lay on his side next to her.

The features before her blurred the line between reality and the dream, seeming both real and imaginary.

Su Nianmei sat in the car, her cheeks flushed, tucking her neck into her collar.

Perhaps she had imagined her childhood hero as Gu Xichao because of her feelings for him.

The feeling of liking him was sweet enough to make her feel delightful every time she thought of him.

Just like that strawberry candy from her dream.

Sweet to the core.

Gu Xichao was driving, the road flat and wide.

Suddenly, he stretched his right arm over.

“Wife, give me a massage.”

Su Nianmei took a moment to respond, pulling her hand over nervously. She rubbed her hands carefully on his shirt before pressing down gently. “Does it hurt?”

Gu Xichao held the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He casually glanced at Su Nianmei. “It’s fine; just a bit numb from the pressure.”

The girl’s grip suddenly loosened.

“Just a bit numb.”

“A bit numb.”

“Numb.”

Those words echoed in Su Nianmei’s mind.

Then Gu Xichao noticed his wife’s neck suddenly flush with a deep red.

His gaze drifted back to the road, a slight smirk curling at the corners of his mouth.

She was truly entertaining.

Last night, his sleep had been restless. The person beside him had curled up obediently in the corner during the night’s first half, but in the second half, he had no idea what she had dreamed about; she had tossed and turned wildly.

He vaguely heard his wife muttering to herself for quite a while.

Then, a small head nestled into his arms.

His little wife rested her arm on his shoulder, adjusting her position for comfort.

Before long, she had fallen asleep.

Her arms and legs flopped onto him like guided missiles, coiling around him like a snake.

Unaware of her slumber, she even smacked her lips contentedly.

Meanwhile, Major Gu lay alone on the rainy night, silently reciting military discipline regulations to suppress his rising emotions.

After arriving at the military district, Gu Xichao first dropped Su Nianmei off at her unit before returning the car.

A few days later, someone from his hometown called, saying there was an urgent matter concerning Jin Chunfen and the others, asking them to return quickly.

On the day of their send-off, Gu Xichao’s entire family was present.

Gu Xiaobao had spent the last few days playing with Grandpa and Grandma, forming a bond with them, and when it came time to say goodbye, he was teary-eyed.

Jin Chunfen’s heart softened instantly as she held onto the little bun, unwilling to let go.

The two grandmothers embraced one another while Old Sixth Gu tugged at his wife’s sleeve. “Let’s go; their car is still waiting for us.”

Xiao Fang waved at the two elderly people.

Gu Xiaobao finally peeked his head out from Jin Chunfen’s embrace, reluctantly, his little chest still rising and falling from sobs.

“Oh, my good Xiaobao.” Jin Chunfen once again pulled her precious child into her arms, directing Old Sixth Gu to fetch a piece of candy for the boy.

“Grandma.” Gu Xiaobao took the candy, rubbed his eyes, and stood up, one hand holding onto Jin Chunfen and the other reaching for Su Nianmei. His cries immediately ceased.

Gu Xichao stood nearby, ruffling his son’s hair. “Mom, don’t worry about going home; I’m here with Nianmei.” He lifted Jin Chunfen’s luggage, helping to load it into the car.

Su Nianmei naturally embraced Gu Xiaobao, the little guy wrapping himself around her.

Jin Chunfen pulled Gu Xichao over, and the two exchanged words for quite a while.

Most of it was Jin Chunfen talking while Gu Xichao stood beside her, nodding along, occasionally glancing at Su Nianmei.

Curious, Su Nianmei hasn’t asked anything at the moment.

It wasn’t until the two elderly people had left that she quietly pulled Gu Xichao aside to inquire.

Gu Xichao leaned down to look at Su Nianmei, his beautiful phoenix eyes half-squinting, resembling a fox that had lured in a lamb. “Are you begging me?”

Su Nianmei gazed at Gu Xichao, gently tapping the tip of his nose with her finger.

“Please~”

Watching her playful gesture, Gu Xichao felt his heart soften considerably. He leaned close to her ear and whispered.

His warm breath brushed against her earlobe.

Su Nianmei shot him a glare, stepping on his shoe’s toe. Pouting, a blush crept up to her ears. She turned to leave, mumbling softly, “Who wants to help you have kids?”

Gu Xichao lowered his gaze, scooping up Gu Xiaobao and playfully scratching his son’s face with his stubble.

Just then, the bubble of snot that had just formed on Gu Xiaobao’s nose popped and fell.

Gu Xichao could only sigh, “……”

After sending off Jin Chunfen and her husband, Gu Xiaobao had been listless for several days, even appearing somewhat lacklustre when Er Gouzi came to play with him.

Su Nianmei watched him with concern and mentioned it to Gu Xichao.

Gu Xichao chuckled, reassuring her that kids like Xiaobao would forget it all in a few days.

Still, Su Nianmei couldn’t shake off her worries completely.

Since Xiaobao had lacked maternal love from a young age, she felt it was important not to let his vibrant spirit fade again.

She found some free time, took a day off, and planned to take Gu Xiaobao out to play and relax.

Early in the morning, a series of knocks sounded at the door before anyone was fully awake.

Su Nianmei thought Gu Xichao had returned for some reason, so she groggily responded and lay back down.

Gu Xiaobao wriggled a bit in her arms, then jumped out of bed and hurried to the door, his little feet thumping on the floor.

“Mom, there’s a guest!” Gu Xiaobao shouted from the living room.

Su Nianmei quickly got up, threw on a coat, and went to see who it was.

At the door stood a fair-skinned young man adjusting his glasses. “Hello… um…”

Su Nianmei nodded.

The young man fidgeted with a small notebook in his hands.

“I’m here to deliver medicine to Uncle Gu.”

Su Nianmei estimated that the young man was only eighteen or nineteen. He carried a small bamboo basket on his back, tall and with a gentle demeanor. “Please come in.”

She invited him inside and went to pour a glass of water.

Gu Xiaobao chirped, “Grandpa went back a few days ago.”

The young man looked a bit troubled as he said, “A while back, Aunt Gu asked my mom to make some ointment. Now it’s ready, but Uncle Gu and them have already left, which is really frustrating.”

Su Nianmei placed the cup in front of the young man and poured herself a glass, taking a sip. “My parents suddenly had an urgent matter to attend to and had to go back. It was unexpected. Just let me know if it’s a hassle, and we can buy the medicine.”

The young man quickly clarified, “That’s not what I meant; we weren’t planning to charge for it.”

“Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu had treated our family well before. We’re willing to make the medicine for Uncle Gu. His leg has been an old problem, and this ointment needs to be applied daily.

The process of making it is quite meticulous. The last time Aunt Gu came to our house, she took some medicine with her, and my mom thought the supply would run out soon, so she came over to deliver more for Uncle Gu. Who knew Uncle Gu would be gone?”

Su Nianmei pondered for a moment, asking the young man to sit tight while she went to fetch some paper and a pen. She handed them to him. “How about you give me the medicine this time? I’ll send it to my father-in-law. Or you could write down your address for me. If the medicine runs low, I can come to pick it up later. Does that work for you?”

The young man bowed his head in thought for a moment, then nodded. He took the piece of paper, looked up at Su Nianmei, and then lowered his head to write.

Gu Xiaobao spotted the notebook that the young man had set aside and picked it up to flip through, wanting to show it to Su Nianmei.

“Don’t go through your brother’s things,” Su Nianmei whispered to Gu Xiaobao.

As she glanced at the young man’s notebook, she noticed it was filled with dense physics formulas, with red ink markings highlighting certain sections.

Gu Xiaobao dropped his hands, saying “Oh” in realization, and with a downturned mouth, he returned the neatly organized notebook to its place and snuggled back into Su Nianmei’s arms.

Su Nianmei asked, “Are you still a student?”

The young man closed his pen and smiled slowly, pushing the note towards her. “Yes, I’ve finished writing. Please keep this paper safe. I’m currently self-studying in preparation for the college entrance examination.”

Su Nianmei accepted the note, noticing the neat characters spelling out “Qin Huai” at the bottom.

When it came to discussing the college entrance exam, a glimmer of light sparkled in Qin Huai’s eyes.

Since the resumption of the exam, it seemed that young people like him had found hope, believing that vast opportunities were awaiting them in the world!